Postpone
by FastestKeyboardTyperInTheWest
Summary: They avenge; but who will avenge them? Who will listen to them, and how they feel? This is a collection of brief ficlets before, during and after the avengers.
1. Broke

They are the Avengers; Earth's Mightiest Heroes, that kind of thing , the best and the worst, the broken and lost, the one who saved the Earth. The ones who have such internal conflict and get along so easily, to smirk and scream in equal measures, who lose and gain. They are the Avengers; and it's a burden they have to bear


	2. Debt

'I could kill you, y'know,'

No, she thinks. You really, really couldn't.

'Nope,'

And she flicks hair from her shoulder, readies herself.

He drops his bow. She groans.

She owes him one.


	3. Uneasy

Tony is- not easy, about Steve. His father talked about him so much, he idolised him in his youth like there was no tomorrow, and he despised him as he grew older, stupider and less trustworthy. And then he met him. He met the war hero, met the lab experiment, resented him and liked him and decided, yeah, he's ok. He's- not easy, about Steve. But he can learn to live with him, at least for a little while. 


	4. Budapest: Him

_We remember Budapest very differently._

He remembers Budapest as a quiet calm mission, considering. They'd been deployed as a pair for the fifth time. A quick mission, boring, annoying. Get rid of an unprotected drug lord. Collect all drugs. Prosecute the minions. Get list of druggies.

Easy.

Then again, he probably remembers Budapest differently because he was knocked out for most of it.


	5. Budapest: Her

_We remember Budapest very differently._

She remembers Budapest as one of the most nerve racking missions of her career. Easy mission statement. Annoying execution. They'd become a good team by then, her and Clint. But then he started firing, and _oh he's not defended, it should be easy_ they were firing back, and it was all very, very wrong and then, due to a HEAD INJURY of all things, Clint was knocked out and she had to take on a platoon by herself.

They remember Budapest very differently, because

She did all the work.


	6. Monster

'You're a monster,' she says.

Am I?

Am I the one who murdered children?

Am I the one who killed the sick?

Am I the one who is drenched in blood?

No. I'm not the monster.


	7. Consider

Will Thor vouch for his life? He has a long time to wait, trapped in a cell, magic bound and mouth trapped, unable to eat or do anything, so he can consider it. He hopes not. He'd rather die than be bound to any one to do with Odin or like _this _for a millennia.

He'll kill himself if it comes to that.


	8. Regrets

They all have regrets.

Tony wishes he could've been the perfect son; he'll never accept that there is no such thing.

Steve wishes he could've saved Bucky and had the dance with Peggy; then he realises that he was needed more in a different era.

Bruce wishes he never turned into _it_; he could've had so much.

Clint and Natasha wish they could admit their feelings; it's too hard, too much effort, and they're both afraid of what happens next.

Thor wishes he had his brother back.


	9. Surrender

The world is burning.

It is burning because of him.

He did not want this.

He wanted peace.

He did not want destruction.

He surrenders.


	10. Lost

They have all lost something important today

Pepper Potts lies buried in the rubble of Stark Tower.

Betty Ross has a knife through her stomach in New Jersey.

Sharon Carter has disappeared off the face of the earth.

Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig are floating on a flooded town with a thousand others.

Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov are little more than dust.

It's the end of the world.

They must rebuild, and mourn.

They must avenge.


	11. Beat

Bow and arrow

Sonic Blasts

Hammer

Shield

She has her hands

And she can beat them all in seconds


	12. Haunt

It haunts.

The blood.

The burning.

The death and destruction

She has to continue, though she's not sure how


	13. Combat

They are fierce in their combat

Moving like it is the most natural thing in the world

She is spinning, spinning off, about to die and

'Yes! I told you! I'm undisbutadley the best at Mario Kart!'

The smirk is wiped off his face and put onto hers after the game with Bruce


	14. Better

You cannot know about it.

How I have suffered.

I have hidden.

Helped, but unaccepted.

How could you know what that's like?

(The warm hand on his shoulder and smile don't convince him. But they do help)


	15. Let's hear it for the dog Part 1

Tony Stark brings in the dog after hearing Steve mope yet again.

'Bucky,' he says simply, as Steve holds the little Dachshund (ironic, he knows), his mouth hanging slightly open.

'His name is Bucky,'

(Tony had no idea in the world how much trouble that miniscule bomb would cause. No one did, which was a shame, because it could've saved them a lot of trouble)


	16. Words

It is pretty common for people to shout out weird words as they pass.

'Epic!'

'Wowzas!'

'Omg! You're so cool!'

Steve doesn't understand a thing. He doesn't really want to, though.


	17. Let's hear it for the dog Part 2

_Things that little rascal has done this week:  
_

__Destroyed MY original toy car collection

Made MY lounge into a poo smelling and wee stinking hovel

Destroyed Natasha's favourite chocolate cake and Clint's arrows

Made Bruce loose control at least twice.

Obviously, it's never touched anything of Steve's.

Dog.


	18. Childhood

Childhood.

It's something that haunts them.

Natasha is haunted by a fire, and the burns on her skin.

Clint is haunted by a twisted car wreck, a bully in an orphanage and a circus act.

Tony is haunted by a father who rejected him constantly.

Steve and Bruce and Thor are haunted by happy childhoods they'll probably never get back.


	19. It's a Dog's Life Part 1

Have you ever had to live with the Avengers?

Honestly, they are messy

Except Steve.

Steve's awesome.

And Tony is... sometimes.

Steve keeps everything tidy, and he gives me toys and treats and everything.

I prefer him to the others.

Then again, it's not very hard.


	20. Provoke

Tony really, really enjoys provoking Bruce. It's something that he impossibly enjoys. Normally, it's just something small; a pen jabbed in the stomach, a patronising pat on the head, a practical joke. Nothing to get worried about.

Steve's just worried that one day it'll escalate into something bigger than they can handle.


	21. It's a Dog's Life Part 2

The worst thing about being here is the LACK OF CHEW TOYS. I mean, the stuff I get is Steve's old clothes and random leather and occasionally a motorised toy that's broken by the end of the day.

I've dropped hints. They pat me on the head.


	22. Movie Night Part 1

Movie Night is annoying.

Steve doesn't understand anything.

Tony corrects the technology.

Clint and Natasha disappear half way through.

Bruce goes half way between laughing and crying.

Thor laughs at everything and eats **so much** popcorn

They don't really do movie nights.


	23. Movie Night Part 2

Watching Titanic is an... interesting experience.

One that they won't repeat.

Ever.

Because they are the Avengers. And Avengers don't cry.


	24. Girlfriends

It was going to happen one day.

It was inevitable.

When Betty, Jane and Pepper meet up, bad things are bound to happen.


	25. End

They disband

They disband today

They are over

End


End file.
